Pennsylvania HR 376: A Resolution urging the President and Congress of the United States to address the critical issue of veteran suicides by ensuring that the Department of Veterans Affairs provides comprehensive and accurate data to inform effective prevention strategies, thereby honoring the sacrifices of all who have served.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 2665
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 376
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY COOPER, VENKAT, GALLAGHER, DELLOSO, O'MARA AND
HADDOCK, DECEMBER 1, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, DECEMBER 3, 2025
A RESOLUTION
Urging the President and Congress of the United States to
address the critical issue of veteran suicides by ensuring
that the Department of Veterans Affairs provides
comprehensive and accurate data to inform effective
prevention strategies, thereby honoring the sacrifices of all
who have served.
WHEREAS, The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National
Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report showed 17 veteran
suicides per day in 2019; and
WHEREAS, An estimated 22 veteran suicides per day had
previously been reported; and
WHEREAS, The VA attributed this decrease to its prevention
programs; and
WHEREAS, The 2019 report excluded suicides among National
Guard and Reserve veterans who did not meet specific service
criteria, such as 90 consecutive days of active duty, 30 days in
a combat zone or 20 years of total service; and
WHEREAS, National Guard and Reserve members, who constitute
45% of the forces deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, are veterans
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who swear an oath, undergo rigorous training and serve alongside
active-duty personnel; and
WHEREAS, These citizen soldiers bring valuable civilian
experience in keeping with the motto "Twice the Citizen"; and
WHEREAS, Excluding National Guard and Reserve suicides from
VA reports artificially lowers the suicide toll; and
WHEREAS, By omitting critical data on a group facing unique
risks, the reporting suggests stable National Guard suicide
rates while active-duty rates declined by 15% in recent years;
and
WHEREAS, The VA's exclusion of these veterans, along with
others with dishonorable discharges and deaths classified as
"self-injury mortality" without documented suicidal intent,
limits research opportunities to understand suicide risk
factors; and
WHEREAS, Mental health conditions like posttraumatic stress
disorder are among the risk factors which increase the
likelihood of conduct leading to dishonorable discharge; and
WHEREAS, By including nonactivated National Guard and Reserve
veterans in its data analysis, the VA establishes an ideal
control group to further understand the impact of deployment on
suicide risk; and
WHEREAS, An estimated 20 veteran suicides per day may go
uncounted when certain deaths, such as drug overdoses or single-
vehicle accidents, are misclassified as "accidental" rather than
suicide, further obscuring the true scope of the crisis; and
WHEREAS, Accurate data inclusion fosters a sense of belonging
and hope, critical for reducing suicide risk; and
WHEREAS, Exclusion leads National Guard and Reserve veterans
to feel unrecognized by the VA in life and in death; and
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WHEREAS, With more than 700,000 veterans, including National
Guard and Reserve members, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has
a vested interest in ensuring that all veterans' sacrifices are
acknowledged and their mental health needs are addressed through
comprehensive data collection; and
WHEREAS, Restoring data on National Guard and Reserve
suicides in the VA National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual
Report is essential for transparent research, effective
prevention strategies and honoring all who serve; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the President and Congress of
the United States to address the critical issue of veteran
suicides by ensuring that the Department of Veterans Affairs
provides comprehensive and accurate data to inform effective
prevention strategies, thereby honoring the sacrifices of all
who have served; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the President and Congress of
the United States to direct the VA to include suicides among
National Guard and Reserve veterans in its National Veteran
Suicide Prevention Annual Report; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge Congress to pass legislation
based on previous veteran suicide prevention initiatives which
included these critical statistics, thereby enhancing efforts to
combat veteran suicide; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the President of the United States, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, the presiding officers of each house of Congress and
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each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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